Cooking appliances, and in particular electric cooking/grilling devices such as griddles, are known. One type of known grilling devices typically evidences a lower housing having a lower cooking surface and an upper housing having an upper cooking surface, wherein the cooking surfaces are typically heated by an electrical resistance heater. A handle attached to the upper housing allows a user to raise and lower the upper housing relative to the lower housing to accommodate a food item therebetween to be heated.
While existing grilling devices are generally suitable for what is regarded as ordinary performance, there is room for improvement in terms of convenience and cleanliness. As will be readily appreciated, it is typical that smoke is generated during cooking due to the contact of food items or fluids with the heating surfaces. This smoke may contain objectionable odors. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that reduces or contains the smoke and associated foul odors expelled from the cooking appliance during cooking.